after watching the first grebe for some time, it moved farther into the lake. Suddenly, a second bird popped up and joined it.

one of two Horned Grebes on Kiamesha Lake 12/25/12

I snuck away from the holiday preparations this morning for a couple of hours birding. I wanted to check out the hot spots for tomorrows Christmas Bird Count. I had some nice surprises. Yankee Lake was mostly frozen, but 11 Common Goldeneye and 7 Bufflehead continued with the more common ducks. Kiamesha Lake had the best birds when I found two HORNED GREBES among the abundant other birds. I was also glad to see the ongoing Lesser Scaup still present. Hundreds of Common Mergansers dominate the scene. Others present Mallard, Black Duck and Hooded Mergansers. Dozens of Ring-billed Gulls with a few Herring Gulls mixed in. On to Sackett Lake. Hundreds more Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergs, gulls and a Belted Kingfisher were good to see. Hopefully tomorrow will be a great count. MERRY CHRISTMAS